Having a functional AC unit is invaluable during the hot summers. Is your AC ready? Have you cleaned it? Having it cleaned by a professional can be fairly expensive, but you can do it yourself for a fraction of the cost with just a few basic tools and some work.
What Do You Need?
You probably have the majority of these things at your home as it is. First, you need a screwdriver that can open the unit. If your unit has more than one size screws, make sure you have all the appropriate sizes.
The next thing you will need is plain cleaning rags, leather or latex gloves, and a vacuum cleaner. If you’ve never cleaned an AC unit, the chances are that you don’t have the following items, which you will also need.
Specialized AC cleaner and a regular household cleaner are all the chemicals you will need, but you also need to use a fin comb and a few drops of electric motor oil. All of these items can be purchased in any AC equipment store.
Apart from cleaning the unit, you will need to replace your air filter if you’re unsure why or how often, follow this link to learn https://www.actionac.net/how-often-to-replace-hvac-air-filter/.
What’s First?
The first thing you will need to do is disassemble the unit. Then, get the case of the unit and take the unit out. Make sure you have some help since the units are typically very heavy.
Once you have the unit on the ground, you can inspect whether the cooling fins are aligned. If they are bent, use the fin comb to straighten them. Fin combs come with different-sized extensions so that you can find the one with the appropriate spacing for your unit.
Cleaning
Next comes the cleaning. Start with the vacuum cleaner. Remove all the grime you can see.
Once that is done, you can proceed to use the AC cleaning agent. These come in sprays, so apply them to both coils and let it foam, and do its work.
While you wait, you can use the regular household cleaner to wipe the surfaces and the fan blades.
Finally, apply a few drops of electric motor oil into the engine. Finish the work off by replacing the air filter, and you can reassemble the unit by retracing your steps.
You can save a lot of money by doing this task by yourself. It is safe and easy, and it can dramatically improve the effectiveness of your AC unit, which can ultimately reflect on your electricity bill as well.
